This project seeks to understand how populist challengers emerge to disrupt established political orders of hybrid regimes, and the political consequences of these disruptions. The literature on democratic backsliding and populism largely ignores a) populist outsiders that challenge the status quo in hybrid regimes and b) complex webs of alliances and rivalries that cut across ‘people vs. the establishment’ binaries in such regimes.
Through an in-depth comparative study of intra-elite rivalries and populist-elite bargaining in Turkey and Pakistan, we aim to uncover dynamics of political contestation and transition within hybrid regimes facing populist ascendancy. We will disseminate findings through peer-reviewed journal articles, workshops and blog posts. This research is a first step in a broader project on populist-elite bargaining across a wider comparative scope.
Our project will significantly contribute to the field of comparative politics by breaking new ground in our understanding of hybrid regimes, populism and elite bargaining.
